Kansas City Southern Railroad's public safety recently completed closure of six crossings in Newton, Mississippi as part of a corridor project agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT).

These six at-grade crossing closures eliminate 33,000 plus opportunities a year for grade crossing collisions. As part of the corridor project, the four remaining crossings in Newton will be upgraded to flashers and gates.

Now in year three of the five year project, a total of eight crossings have been closed and eight more are pending closure prior to project completion. Warning level upgrades are also part of the $10 million project. Another $1.8 million is addressing surface upgrades.

In a joint news release in July 2004, Steve Edwards MDOT rail division engineer explained that, "By combining state and federal resources with railroad resources, we are enhancing safety throughout the state." In 1998, MDOT set rail grade crossing safety as a state priority, designating funds for this purpose.

Allen Pepper, KCSR director public safety said, "This project is significant because it allows us to accomplish in five years what could otherwise take 30 years." Upon completion of the corridor project, most existing crossings will have received warning level upgrades from crossbuck crossings to signals and gates, or from signals to signals and gates, or will be closed.